In a known manner of controlling a sealed electrical device such as a relay in an automotive vehicle, the electrical device is electrically connected to a remotely mounted control module through a wiring harness. The wiring harness is connected to the electrical device through a known sealed connector structure.
One example implementation of the control module and relay may be for the vehicle's rear defogger. The rear defogger power is switched on and off by a relay controlled by a timer module, which in turn receives an on/off signal from an instrument panel mounted switch. An electrical wiring harness must provide power and the on/off signal to the control module, which sends the relay control signals through another electrical wiring harness connected to the relay.
In a known manner of eliminating the necessity of control modules separately mounted from the electrical devices, the electrical device and control module may be provided in a single sealed unit connected to a wiring harness through a single sealed connection. Such units have been referred to as "smart" units. A disadvantage of known "smart" units is that, because they are sealed, they are not serviceable. If a part of the "smart" unit fails, the whole unit must be replaced even though it is typically only the electrical device that fails.